At Omnicell I took over the indirect markets business

At Omnicell I took over the indirect markets business. Automated dispensing cabinets sold through a distributor network across territories with no direct sales. Project sales, not subscriptions. Every fiscal year, the number reset to zero. Back to square one.

When I walked in, the business was doing about $5M a year. Three regional sales managers, each with their own way of running their distributors.

I wouldn't say the team was the problem. The structure was. A bunch of distributors, some performing, some not. No real scorecards. No quarterly meetings. No structure.

So I didn't cut headcount. One of the RSMs retired and I decided not to backfill. Restructured the territories instead. For me, profit is everything. A lean team that knows what it's doing beats a bigger team every time.

Two RSMs running the business. 18 months later, we hit a record $15M year.

Here's what stuck out to me. Growth requires structure, not just headcount. Most people throw headcount at the problem and think it will solve it.

You can't fix a broken engine by stepping on the gas.